pullman



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

N. PULLMANaOF NEW' OREGON. lOW'A.

RAILROAD-SWIT CH.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,367, dated May 25, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, N. PULLMAN, of New Oregon, in the county oi' Howardand State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSwitches for Placing` Railroad-Cars Upon the Track, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, inwhich- Figure l represents a plan of my improved switch, connected withone of the rails of a track. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of thesame. Fig. 3 represents a vertical section through the clamping shoewhich holds the switch rail to the track and E ig. i represents aperspective view of the clamping shoe with one side removed so as toshow the form of the clamping blocks.

The object of my improvements is to faw cilitate the replacing ofrailroad cars upon the track when, from any accident to the train or tothe road they have been displaced from the track and thrown between orentirely outside the rails, and my invention for effecting this objectconsists, first, in a double headed rail bent at its inner end in orderto diverge it from the line of the track and connected with a shoe sothat its line of divergence to either side of' the track may be changedby turning it over in the shoe, thereby avoiding reversing the shoes anddisconnecting them from the other parts of the switch and from the trackrail, and, second, in connecting the switch rail to the shoe by means ofa fixed joint and confining` the shoe to the track by means of curvedside blocks which admit of its being turned on the rail transversely'andalso of its being inclined to the face of the rail, by which means thedivergence of the switch rail from the track can be varied as well asits inclination to the track by turning the shoe; thereby avoidingweakening both the shoe and the switch rail by connecting them with eachother, as it has heretofore been the practice, by means of a flexiblejoint.

The accompanying drawing represents my improved switch, which consistsof a double headed rail (A) and a shoe (B) which forms a chair forholding it to the track and regulating its divergence and inclinationthereto. The shoe is made with a central plate (a) on which it restswhen confined to the top of the track rail. From y this plate (a) twoside plates (ZJ) extend upward and are bent so as to form the lips of achair which fits the double-headed rail (A). Extending` downward fromthe central plate as low as the bottom of the track rail (G) are twostraight flanges (o) for the purpose of confining the shoe to the trackrail. Between these anges and the track rail, on both sides, fitting thehollow be tween the upper and lower webs, are blocks (fl) which on oneside are plane and on the other side convex, the plane sides beingtoward the ianges (c) and the convex sides toward the rail.l Ascrew-bolt (e) passes through the center of each flange and also throughthe center of the blocks and confines the shoe to the track-rail in sucha manner that it can be turned in any direction like a. ball and socketoint. The switch rail (A) is bent laterally near the end which entersthe shoe, so that it diverges from the line of the track rail, and, asit can be reversed, this divergence may be either t-o the .right or leftof the track as circumstances require and may be increased or diminishedb v turning the shoe on the rail. The inclination of the switch to thesurface of the track is also susceptible of variation by turning theshoe up or down and thus raising or depressing the outer end of theswitch. in order to accommodate it to the ground.

ln order to lengthen the switch rail when required, a rail (C) may beattached to it by means of two clamps (f) which have a convex surface soas to admit of the rail (C) being turned in any direction.

A guide rail (D) to guide the wheels of the car from the inner end ofthe switch rail to the track butts against the end of the switch railand is confined to the track and supported by two shoes (E, F,) similarin construction to that which holds the switch rail. The end of thisrail opposite the shoes is bent down and beveled olf on the under side,so as to form an inclined plane for the wheels of the car to pass downon to the track. Instead of these shoes to hold the guide rail flangesmay be attached to its sides near each end, which, coming down on thesides ofthe track rail, will prevent the guide rail from movinglaterally.

The switch consists of two sets of the parts previously described, onefor each rail of the track, and the two switch rails may be connectedtogether, when used, by bolts,

in order to keep them from spreading. In using this switch, the guiderails and the shoes for holding the ends of the switch are plactd on thetrack, the bent end of the switch rail is enter'ed into its shoe withthat side uppermost which will give it the direction toward the wheelsof the displaced car-whether to the right or left' of the track-and ifthe angle of divergence made by the bend in the switch is either toogreator too small to bring its outer ends directly under the wheels itis swung, by turning it Von the shoe as a center, to bring: it into theright position and then the shoe is clampedl to the'track. The switchbeing now ready, with its ends under one set of wheels of the car, thecar is either pushed back or drawn forward by the locomotive and thewheels pass up the switch and onto the track. If both trucks of the carare off the track, the same operation is repeated.

Instead of the setscrews to clampy the shoe to the track a wedge shapedkey may be used, for which key seats (g) are cut both in the blocks (CZ)and on the inside of the flanges (c). By driving the key into theseseats the shoe is turned in the direction required and clamped to therail.

The advantages Vof this switch are its little liability of breaking andgetting out of order and its capability of being turned in the rightdirection without the aid of hinged joints which are alwaysliable tobreak.

Having thus described my improved switch for placing railroad cars uponthe track, what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent isl. The combination of the bent switch rail with the shoe whenarranged in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of t-he curved blocks with the shoe and the switchrail for the purpose of regulating the inclination of the switch rail tothe track and also its angle of divergence from the track, substantiallyas herein described.

In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name.

N. PULLMAN. Witnesses:

HENRY BALDWIN, J r., Y JOHN S. HOLLINGSHEAD.

